The Senators' Captain Question Might Be Important

Thomas Chabot will miss Ottawa's preseason opener on Monday, but the hockey part of that story is pretty small. He's not missing because he's hurt. He's not being held out because the Senators are worried about his conditioning. He and his wife, Marion, are waiting for their first child. Some things in hockey are considerably more important than a preseason game. Congratulations to both of them.

Will Chabot become the Senators’ next captain?

But another little piece of this story caught my attention. Chabot is apparently one of the players being considered for Ottawa's vacant captaincy. And that makes this preseason a little more interesting for him than simply getting ready for the regular season.

The Senators have some legitimate choices here. Chabot has been around long enough to know what the organization is about, and Jake Sanderson represents the younger generation of the defence. Then there is Tim Stützle, who is already one of the faces of the franchise.

Those are three pretty different choices. And that's what makes the captaincy question interesting. A captain doesn't have to be the team's best player. He doesn't even have to be the oldest player. Sometimes the guy wearing the C is simply the player teammates naturally look toward when things get a little messy.

Related: The Senators Are Betting Big on Drake Batherson

Chabot has been through a lot of Ottawa hockey.

He has been there through the rebuilding years, the changes in management and coaching, and the gradual attempt to turn the Senators into a serious playoff team. He has also played a lot of difficult minutes when healthy. Last season he put up 31 points in 57 games, with 99 shots on goal. Those numbers aren't the whole story, of course. But there is something to be said for having a veteran defenceman who’s seen it all and understands what it takes to play in Ottawa.

The interesting question is whether the Senators want their captain to represent where they've been or where they're going. That's where Sanderson and Stützle come in. Both are younger and much more closely connected to the next version of this team. If Ottawa believes its window is opening, there's logic in putting the C on somebody who'll be central to that window for years.

Chabot offers something different in the Senators’ captaincy conversation.

He is the bridge. And maybe that's exactly what Ottawa needs. The funny thing is that Chabot won't be on the ice Monday to make his case (if that’s what he wants). He'll have something much more important to do. So the Senators will have to wait. And so will we.

I’m not going to pretend to know who should get the C. That's a decision for the players and the organization. But the fact that Chabot is in the conversation tells us something important: after all these years, Ottawa still sees him as someone who can help lead this hockey club into its next chapter.

That's a much more interesting story than whether he plays 20 minutes in a preseason game.

Related: Ben Hutton and the Senators’ September Blue-Line Question